In wake of Nicholas Naumkin's shooting death, views differ on gun control

Kevin Zacharewicz, owner of Zack's Sports Inc. in Round Lake, holds trigger and gun locks available at his store, which specializes in guns and ammunition. Behind him are safes designed specifically to house firearms. (ED BURKE/The Saratogian)

WILTON -- On Dec. 22, a 12-year-old boy in Gansevoort found a gun in a drawer in his father's bedroom and accidentally shot and killed his seventh-grade friend Nicholas Naumkin.

The following week, the boy was charged with the second-degree manslaughter, a felony. His father was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, for leaving the handgun and "unsecured loose ammunition" in the residence with the two boys alone.

There is no law in New York state regulating the proper storage of personal firearms.

Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III pointed out that pistol permits require the applicant to take a course on gun safety, which covers gun storage.

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"The course recommends gun owners purchase a trigger lock or a gun vault and always keep ammunition and guns in separated locked areas," Murphy said. "Unfortunately, most gun owners do not abide by the recommendation, which can result in serious injury or death."

Nicholas' father, Yuri Naumkin, said he doesn't believe New York state laws are specific or stringent enough when it comes to people keeping their firearms under lock and key.

"Other states have laws that require a gun to be locked in one place and the ammunition to be locked in another," he said at his son's calling hours

on Dec. 27. "We need to make it a law here. People need to know there are consequences to this."

But for many gun owners in New York state, a new law is not the answer.

Zacharewicz has owned Zack's Sports Inc. in Round Lake for 18 years and has been shooting since he was 7 or 8 years old.

"If you have a firearm, especially a handgun, and you have a family or young kids, you have to be really responsible," he said.

Zacharewicz said regardless of the law, guns should be kept in a safe, not simply kept with a trigger lock on them. "Kids are smart. They are always going to find a way (to get at the gun) if it only has a cable lock or a trigger lock," he said. "They are curious."

To combat that, Zacharewicz said it is important to "demystify" the weapons. "If your

10-year-old wants to see the gun, show it to them," he said. "When you are showing it to them, educate them on the dangers of it."

He suggested bringing children to the range, not necessarily to shoot, but to have them watch, see and understand what guns can do and why they are not to be played with. "With all of the videogames and movies (children) don't understand -- at least not a deep understanding," he said. "If you are going to be a responsible gun owner, you need to do these things."

"It is up to the individual as to how people should store their guns," said Jacob J. Rieper, vice president of legislative and political affairs for the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association. He said there is no law in New York state that requires people to store their firearms in any specific way and said there should not be one.

"When you tell someone to keep their gun locked up, it directly goes against having guns based on self-defense," he said. "There have been proposals in the state for years, but I don't think they are going anywhere in New York."

He said the storage and safety of guns, in general and with regard to children, is a decision for individuals to make themselves. "My first gun was given to me when I was

"Guns should always be locked up at home and the key should be kept with the responsible adult," he said. "It's just common sense."

He said gun locks come in various shapes and sizes for various uses. He keeps his gun in a locked fire-proof box on top of a shelf and said he has for years, though he admitted he doesn't have children at home to worry about.

Chowske said he is not a proponent of keeping a gun at the ready in case of intruders, but for people who want to do that he said there are relatively inexpensive fingerprint-accessed lock-boxes that can be quickly accessed without a key, but only by the designated party.

"If you are going to spend three, four or $500 on a handgun, spending $50 on a locking box is not a big deal," he said. He pointed out there is no law requiring people to do it, but he said "as a police officer, a father and a grandfather, it is my opinion that they should be locked up."